Robin S. Reid

LAND USE CHANGE AROUND PROTECTED AREAS: MANAGEMENT TO BALANCE HUMAN NEEDS AND ECOLOGICAL FUNCTION

Protected areas throughout the world are key for conserving biodiversity, and land use is key for providing food, fiber, and other ecosystem services essential for human sustenance. As land use change isolates protected areas from their surrounding landscapes, the challenge is to identify management opportunities that maintain ecological function while minimizing restrictions on human land use. Building on the case studies in this Invited Feature and on ecological principles, we identify opportunities for regional land management that maintain both ecological function in protected areas and human land use options, including preserving crucial habitats and migration corridors, and reducing dependence of local human populations on protected area resources. Identification of appropriate and effective management opportunities depends on clear definitions of: (1) the biodiversity attributes of concern; (2) landscape connections to delineate particular locations with strong ecological interactions between the protected area and its surrounding landscape; and (3) socioeconomic dynamics that determine current and future use of land resources in and around the protected area.

Linking international agricultural research knowledge with action for sustainable development

We applied an innovation framework to sustainable livestock development research projects in Africa and Asia. The focus of these projects ranged from pastoral systems to poverty and ecosystems services mapping to market access by the poor to fodder and natural resource management to livestock parasite drug resistance. We found that these projects closed gaps between knowledge and action by combining different kinds of knowledge, learning, and boundary spanning approaches; by providing all partners with the same opportunities; and by building the capacity of all partners to innovate and communicate.

Impacts of Pastoralists on Woodlands in South Turkana, Kenya: Livestock- Mediated Tree Recruitment

Since the turn of the century, African pastoralists have been held responsible for overuse of woody plants and for the degradation and desertification of many arid and semiarid lands. We analyzed the impacts of pastoral nomads and their livestock on the recruitment (establishment to first reproduction) of Acacia tortilis, a dominant tree in the dry woodlands of South Turkana, Kenya, where Acacia seedpods make up an important part of livestock diets. Seed density averaged over 85 times higher in bush-fenced livestock corrals than in the surrounding environment. The survival and growth of 14 cohorts of trees ranging in age from 1 to 39 yr were investigated comparing tree stands originating inside livestock corrals with those originating outside. Corral soils contained nine times more C, three times more N, and six times more P than adjacent noncorral soils immediately following corral abandonment. Corral soils also retained more moisture than noncorral soils after rainfall. These soil conditions accelerated seedling emergence in corrals, and enhanced survival and growth of 1st-yr seedlings. Survival of older trees in corral stands was not significantly different from those established outside corrals during this study. However, comparison of tree densities over time suggests that corral stands thin more rapidly than noncorral stands, probably because of crowding. The early survival and growth advantages of the corral environment appear to stabilize the reproductive patterns of A. tortilis in this arid ecosystem, where successful recruitment in noncorral sites may be restricted to the few years with high rainfall. Contrary to the conventional wisdom, pastoralists may be improving rangelands in South Turkana by enhancing recruitment reliability in this im- portant tree species.

Mapping livestock-oriented agricultural production systems for the developing world

Abstract Questions as to whether public investment in international agricultural research is a ‘Good Thing’ or not may best be addressed using two arguments: (1) justifications based on whether or not past investments have yielded substantial benefits to societies and the resource-poor; and (2) that future investments need to be made as effectively and efficiently as possible, which means they must be targeted as closely as possible. A major component of any impact assessment framework that aspires to comprehensiveness is information on the location of different agricultural systems and pertinent characteristics of the resource-poor who operate them. Given the importance of livestock to the diets and incomes of poor farming households, and the predicted increase in demand for livestock products throughout the developing world over the next few decades, understanding how livestock fit into these systems, and how these systems may evolve in the future, is critical. This is especially true in Africa, where approximately 27% (162 million people) of the worlds poor livestock keepers live. In this paper, we further develop a global livestock production system classification put forward by Sere and Steinfeld in 1996. These livestock systems fall into four categories: landless systems, livestock only/rangeland-based systems (areas with minimal cropping), mixed rainfed systems (mostly rainfed cropping combined with livestock) and mixed irrigated systems (a significant proportion of cropping uses irrigation and is interspersed with livestock). We then describe a method for mapping the classification, based on agro-climatology (length of growing period), land cover, and human population density. We conclude with a discussion of how the maps could be refined, and indicate their potential use in a range of different policy and research and development applications.

Global land-Cover Change: Recent Progress, Remaining Challenges.

Since time immemorial, humankind has changed landscapes in attempts to improve the amount, quality, and security of natural resources critical to its well being, such as food, freshwater, fiber, and medicinal products. Through the increased use of innovation, human populations have, slowly at first, and at increasingly rapid pace later on, increased its ability to derive resources from the environment, and expand its territory. Several authors have identified three different phases - the control of fire, domestication of biota, and fossil-fuel use - as being pivotal in enabling increased appropriation of natural resources (Goudsblom and De Vries 2004; Turner II and McCandless 2004).

Distribution and diversity of wildlife in northern Kenya in relation to livestock and permanent water points

Arid rangelands host a variety of drought-tolerant wildlife species, many of them requiring conservation efforts for the survival of their populations. The development of drinking water sources for people and livestock forms one of the main development interventions in these rangelands. However, the impact of availability of permanent drinking water on wildlife remains unknown. In this study we analyzed the distribution of wildlife and livestock in northern Kenya in relation to distance to permanent water. Livestock were concentrated in areas close to permanent water, while wildlife were frequently farther away from water; their distributions were inversely correlated. In addition, wildlife assemblages were more diverse farther from water. These results suggest that livestock and human activities related to water points negatively affect the distribution of wildlife.

Evolution of models to support community and policy action with science: Balancing pastoral livelihoods and wildlife conservation in savannas of East Africa

We developed a “continual engagement” model to better integrate knowledge from policy makers, communities, and researchers with the goal of promoting more effective action to balance poverty alleviation and wildlife conservation in 4 pastoral ecosystems of East Africa. The model involved the creation of a core boundary-spanning team, including community facilitators, a policy facilitator, and transdisciplinary researchers, responsible for linking with a wide range of actors from local to global scales. Collaborative researcher−facilitator community teams integrated local and scientific knowledge to help communities and policy makers improve herd quality and health, expand biodiversity payment schemes, develop land-use plans, and fully engage together in pastoral and wildlife policy development. This model focused on the creation of hybrid scientific−local knowledge highly relevant to community and policy maker needs. The facilitation team learned to be more effective by focusing on noncontroversial livelihood issues before addressing more difficult wildlife issues, using strategic and periodic engagement with most partners instead of continual engagement, and reducing costs by providing new scientific information only when deemed essential. We conclude by examining the role of facilitation in redressing asymmetries in power in researcher−community−policy maker teams, the role of individual values and character in establishing trust, and how to sustain knowledge-action links when project funding ends.

Rainfall influences on ungulate population abundance in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem

1. Rainfall is the prime climatic factor underpinning the dynamics of African savanna ungulates, but no study has analysed its influence on the abundance of these ungulates at monthly to multiannual time scales. 2. We report relationships between rainfall and changes in age- and sex-structured abundances of seven ungulate species monitored monthly for 15 years using vehicle ground counts in the Maasai Mara National Reserve, Kenya. 3. Abundance showed strong and curvilinear relationships with current and cumulative rainfall, with older topi, Damaliscus korrigum (Ogilby); warthog, Phacochoerus aethiopicus (Pallas); waterbuck, Kobus ellipsyprimnus (Ogilby); and impala, Aepyceros melampus (Lichtenstein) responding to longer lags than younger animals, portraying carryover effects of prior habitat conditions. 4. The abundances of newborn calves were best correlated with monthly rainfall averaged over the preceding 5-6 months for topi, waterbuck, warthog, and 2 months for the migratory zebra Equus burchelli (Gray), but with seasonal rainfall averaged over 2-5 years for giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis (L.); impala; and kongoni, Alcelaphus busephalus (Pallas). The cumulative late wet-season rainfall was the best predictor of abundance for quarter- to full-grown animals for most species. Monthly rainfall exerted both negative and positive effects on the abundances of zebra, impala and waterbuck. Ignoring age, both sexes responded similarly to rainfall. 5. Births were strongly seasonal only for warthog and topi, but peaked between August and December for most species. Hence abundance was strongly seasonal for young topi and warthog and the migratory zebra. Pronounced seasonality in births for warthog and topi obliterated otherwise strong relationships between abundance and rainfall when both month and rainfall were included in the same model. Aggregated density produced relationships with rainfall similar to those for fully grown animals, emphasizing the necessity of demographic monitoring to reliably reveal rainfall influences on ungulate abundance in the Mara. 6. Strong relationships between abundance and rainfall suggest that rainfall underpins the dynamics of African savanna ungulates, and that changes in rainfall due to global warming may markedly alter the abundance and diversity of these mammals. Ungulates respond to rainfall fluctuations through movements, reproduction or survival, and the responses appear independent of breeding phenology and synchrony, dietary guild, or degree of water dependence. Newborns and adults have contrasting responses to rainfall. Males and females respond similarly to rainfall when age is ignored.

Assessing the impacts of livestock production on biodiversity in rangeland ecosystems

Biodiversity in rangelands is decreasing, due to intense utilization for livestock production and conversion of rangeland into cropland; yet the outlook of rangeland biodiversity has not been considered in view of future global demand for food. Here we assess the impact of future livestock production on the global rangelands area and their biodiversity. First we formalized existing knowledge about livestock grazing impacts on biodiversity, expressed in mean species abundance (MSA) of the original rangeland native species assemblages, through metaanalysis of peer-reviewed literature. MSA values, ranging from 1 in natural rangelands to 0.3 in man-made grasslands, were entered in the IMAGE-GLOBIO model. This model was used to assess the impact of change in food demand and livestock production on future rangeland biodiversity. The model revealed remarkable regional variation in impact on rangeland area and MSA between two agricultural production scenarios. The area of used rangelands slightly increases globally between 2000 and 2050 in the baseline scenario and reduces under a scenario of enhanced uptake of resource-efficient production technologies increasing production [high levels of agricultural knowledge, science, and technology (high-AKST)], particularly in Africa. Both scenarios suggest a global decrease in MSA for rangelands until 2050. The contribution of livestock grazing to MSA loss is, however, expected to diminish after 2030, in particular in Africa under the high-AKST scenario. Policies fostering agricultural intensification can reduce the overall pressure on rangeland biodiversity, but additional measures, addressing factors such as climate change and infrastructural development, are necessary to totally halt biodiversity loss.

The effects of pastoralism and protection on the density and distribution of carnivores and their prey in the Mara ecosystem of Kenya

The overlap of large carnivores, livestock and people can engender conflicts that often threaten the future viability of carnivore populations in the pastoral systems of Africa. A playback survey of lions Panthera leo, spotted hyenas Crocuta crocuta and black-backed jackals Canis mesomelas and a transect count of wild herbivores was conducted in the Maasai Mara National Reserve and adjoining pastoral ranches to assess the effect of pastoralism and protection on the density and distribution of carnivores in June 2003. Reliability of the prey counts depended on an assumption of similar observability between the protected and pastoral areas, which we assessed using distance sampling in November 2003 and computer simulations and determined to be similar. Estimates of wild prey biomass density was 2.6 times higher in the ranches (14212 kg/km2) than in the reserve (5472 kg/km2) during this wet season count. Apparent hyena density estimates were 1.3 times higher in the ranches (0.561 hyenas/km2) than in the reserve (0.404 hyenas/km2), in correspondence with the regional pattern of prey density. This distribution of hyenas is biased towards the reserve, if it is dependent on prey density. Estimates of apparent jackal density were similar in both areas whereas lion density was anomalously 8.0 times lower in the ranches (0.046 lions/km2) than in the reserve (0.369 lions/km2). Lion and hyena densities and prey biomass did not differ between June 1991 (5172.273 kg/km2) and June 2003 (5472 kg/km2) in the reserve, but jackal density increased in the same period. Lions never responded to playbacks in the ranches, so the potential shift in lion behavioural response for different land use zones is another potential explanation for the patterns found here. We think a real shift in lion populations is a better explanation than a behavioural change in relation to playbacks based on additional data from independent systematic and intensive censuses and playback surveys conducted in the ranches. Lion populations in the pastoral ranches seemed headed for extinction, probably owing to conflicts with pastoralism, necessitating urgent conservation interventions that integrate pastoral economic welfare with large carnivore conservation goals to foster long-term viability of lion populations in the pastoral systems.